My mother used to tell us that at one time people use to hang “Irish Need Not Apply” signs in their businesses. But I would never try to compare the ethnic prejudice faced by the Irish to that faced by African-Americans in the United States. I also try to always keep in mind that, unlike when I was a child in the 1970s and early 80s, the fact that I no longer hear people say racist things doesn't mean that racism no longer exists. When it comes to driving while Black, I have no way to know if Black drivers are still more likely to be stopped by the police than white drivers. I am certainly not going to say that doesn't happen, but I think there is almost certainly some confirmation bias involved there. Any time a Black driver is stopped, they have to wonder if they would have been stopped if they were white. I am sure many who know they were speeding will ask themselves that. Every time there is a proven, or even suspected, case of excessive force by a police officer against an African-American it is taken as further evidence of police racism. But the real question isn't whether the police use excessive force against Black people, it's whether it is more LIKELY to be used against Black people. That there are 330 million people in the U.S. means that just because we hear about one incident after another doesn't mean that the police are out of control.
My father was of Irish descent and my mother ½ Irish and ½ German. But because my mother's German father abandoned her family when she was 4, from a cultural perspective I might as well have been 100% Irish. My youngest sister moved to CA after college, married a Mexican-American man, and had 2 daughters. I am sure they probably feel closer to their Mexican heritage than their Irish one, if for no other reason than their father's family lives much closer. But while if you asked them if they were Hispanic they'd probably say yes, I am not sure how important that is to them.
My sister and brother-in-law are both engineers and do very well for themselves. I used to think my nieces would be bilingual and good at math. But while they are both really good students, they weren't exposed to much Spanish growing up. Before my older nieces 15th birthday, I asked my sister if she was going to throw her a quinceanera. She said she didn't think she wanted one because most of her friends (because of where she went to school) were Asian. My nieces are growing up in an upper middle class area of LA County. Are they really Hispanic or just white?
My other sister has a 5-year-old son whose father is from Ireland. My nephew is in Ireland right now spending the week with his grandparents and cousins. I have been to Ireland once in my life, when I was 30-years-old. My nephew is 5 and already there for the 4th time. It would have been at least 6 if not for Covid. Somehow I think his Irish heritage is going to be a bit more important to him than to my nieces. Actually, it will almost certainly be more important to him than it is to me.
I am reminded of something that happened when I was teaching in the South Bronx. A Black Hispanic girl whose skin was about as dark as any Black person I've known got very upset when another student said something about her being Black. “I'm not Black I am HISPANIC” she yelled. What I told them about the issue of their race was that it only mattered under 2 conditions. First, if it mattered to them, for example as a matter of cultural pride. Second, if someone was going to treat them differently because of it. Except for those 2 circumstances, the only difference my race versus that girls made was that I was going to be much more likely to get sunburned at the beach than she would. Silver linings, right? Personally, I look forward to the day when race really is irrelevant. Imagine a day when I could go to the beach and not have to apply sunscreen because science will have developed sunscreen that only has to be applied once and never washes off. Oh and an end to racism would be good too.
My mother used to tell us that at one time people use to hang “Irish Need Not Apply” signs in their businesses. But I would never try to compare the ethnic prejudice faced by the Irish to that faced by African-Americans in the United States. I also try to always keep in mind that, unlike when I was a child in the 1970s and early 80s, the fact that I no longer hear people say racist things doesn't mean that racism no longer exists. When it comes to driving while Black, I have no way to know if Black drivers are still more likely to be stopped by the police than white drivers. I am certainly not going to say that doesn't happen, but I think there is almost certainly some confirmation bias involved there. Any time a Black driver is stopped, they have to wonder if they would have been stopped if they were white. I am sure many who know they were speeding will ask themselves that. Every time there is a proven, or even suspected, case of excessive force by a police officer against an African-American it is taken as further evidence of police racism. But the real question isn't whether the police use excessive force against Black people, it's whether it is more LIKELY to be used against Black people. That there are 330 million people in the U.S. means that just because we hear about one incident after another doesn't mean that the police are out of control.
My father was of Irish descent and my mother ½ Irish and ½ German. But because my mother's German father abandoned her family when she was 4, from a cultural perspective I might as well have been 100% Irish. My youngest sister moved to CA after college, married a Mexican-American man, and had 2 daughters. I am sure they probably feel closer to their Mexican heritage than their Irish one, if for no other reason than their father's family lives much closer. But while if you asked them if they were Hispanic they'd probably say yes, I am not sure how important that is to them.
My sister and brother-in-law are both engineers and do very well for themselves. I used to think my nieces would be bilingual and good at math. But while they are both really good students, they weren't exposed to much Spanish growing up. Before my older nieces 15th birthday, I asked my sister if she was going to throw her a quinceanera. She said she didn't think she wanted one because most of her friends (because of where she went to school) were Asian. My nieces are growing up in an upper middle class area of LA County. Are they really Hispanic or just white?
My other sister has a 5-year-old son whose father is from Ireland. My nephew is in Ireland right now spending the week with his grandparents and cousins. I have been to Ireland once in my life, when I was 30-years-old. My nephew is 5 and already there for the 4th time. It would have been at least 6 if not for Covid. Somehow I think his Irish heritage is going to be a bit more important to him than to my nieces. Actually, it will almost certainly be more important to him than it is to me.
I am reminded of something that happened when I was teaching in the South Bronx. A Black Hispanic girl whose skin was about as dark as any Black person I've known got very upset when another student said something about her being Black. “I'm not Black I am HISPANIC” she yelled. What I told them about the issue of their race was that it only mattered under 2 conditions. First, if it mattered to them, for example as a matter of cultural pride. Second, if someone was going to treat them differently because of it. Except for those 2 circumstances, the only difference my race versus that girls made was that I was going to be much more likely to get sunburned at the beach than she would. Silver linings, right? Personally, I look forward to the day when race really is irrelevant. Imagine a day when I could go to the beach and not have to apply sunscreen because science will have developed sunscreen that only has to be applied once and never washes off. Oh and an end to racism would be good too.